Image transfer techniques for transferring images from one surface to another including acrylic transfer, xylene transfer, caulking transfer, heat transfer, water transfer, paper image transfer, fabric image transfer, contact paper transfer, waxed paper transfer are known. The selection of a type of method for transferring image/impression from one surface to another usually depends upon the material on which matter is sought to be transferred. The appealing feature about transfer of image/impression from one surface to another is that after transfer of the image/impression, the effect achieved is as if the image/impression was printed or painted on the surface as opposed to just glued.
US89188 discloses a process for applying oil or other paintings from their primary flexible support to any suitable surface. The oil-colors used for the painting inter alia contain boiled linseed-oil and white lead. The primary surface on which the matter is painted upon is coated with three consecutive coats of adhesive such as starch glue. After the three layers are completely dried, two or more coats of a mixture composed of gum-arabic and flaxseed, dissolved in water, in the proportions of one part of gum and flaxseed to eight parts of water are applied. These two coats constitute temporary adhesive medium for connecting the painting with the canvass. After the aforesaid layers are dried, the said layers along with the painting are detached from the primary surface (canvass) by means of a muslin cloth or gauze which is placed on the canvass on top of the said layers. Thereafter, the muslin/gauze containing the painting is placed over a surface with the side of the painting facing the surface, for the purposes of transferring the painting to the surface. Upon such placement of painting on the surface, the painting containing layers of adhesive adheres to the surface, causing the painting to be transferred to the said desired surface. After transferring the painting onto the desired surface, water is sprayed on the said surface over the muslin/gauze on the painting which causes the muslin/gauze to fall off by itself. The said process enables an artist to paint at his studio at his convenience and paste the subject matter on the desired surface once the same is ready. However, the said prior art involves use of several coats of adhesive. As is clear from the description, in addition to the three layers of starch glue and two or more layers of gum-arabic and flaxseed dissolved in water already applied on the primary surface i.e. canvass, the aforesaid process requires the surface on which the matter is to be transferred to be coated with fat boiled oil containing calcinated white lead, which renders the oil adhesive. The use of such excessive amount of adhesive coating damages the surface on which matter is to be transferred. Further, the said prior art is suitable for transfer of matter only physically painted/drawn by an artist on a substrate, thereby excluding application of the aforesaid process to printed matter.
US20040218028 discloses a color image transfer method comprising performing solid printing of an image portion on a hydrophilic transfer sheet substrate having coated on a surface thereof a water-soluble resin with an aqueous ink solution containing a component that imparts the water-soluble resin with an adhesive property for a certain period of time by use of an ink jet printer; scattering heat-bondable resin powder onto the solid printed portion and fixing it thereto while removing the powder from portions other than the image portion; printing a sublimation ink on the solid printed image by use of an ink jet printer in register with the solid printed image; superimposing the thus printed image surface on an article to be transferred and then heat pressing it; and peeling off the transfer sheet from the article to be transferred by giving moisture to the transfer sheet. The said document further claims a color image transfer method wherein, after printing with the sublimation ink, the transfer sheet having heat-bondable resin powder image thereon with the sublimation ink being attached thereon is heated in advance to cause the sublimation ink to develop colours before superimposing the image surface on an article for the image to be transferred, heat pressing to bond to each other, and peeling off the transfer sheet by giving moisture. This method requires a special printer and special aqueous ink solution (sublimation ink) for printing on the hydrophilic transfer sheet substrate. The method is therefore dependent on the use of printers and more particularly a type of printer of specification suitable for printing on hydrophilic transfer sheet substrate. Further, the method requires means for heating the sheet for the purposes of bonding the colour image with the surface. Thus, the method has limitations on its use.
WO2013132339 discloses a method for treating a hydrophobic release layer of intermediate transfer member for use in a printing process in which a negatively charged aqueous inject ink including an organic polymeric resin and a colorant are jetted onto said layer, the claimed method comprising contacting the release layer, prior to jetting the ink, with a solution or dispersion in an aqueous solvent of a chemical agent which suppose to reduce the tendency of a jetted ink droplet that spreads on impinging upon the intermediate transfer member to bead under the action of the surface tension of the aqueous carrier of the ink. The said invention pertains to a process and system of indirect digital inkjet printing using aqueous inks. This method also requires a special printer of suitable specification for printing on hydrophobic release paper which uses a special aqueous ink. Thus, this method is also limited in its scope of application to a great extent.
US2002/0061451A1 discloses an intermediate transfer recording medium for use in a method which comprises the steps of: forming an image using an intermediate transfer recording medium on an object; and forming a protective layer on the image. The intermediate transfer recording medium comprises: a sheet substrate provided with a resin layer; and a transparent sheet provided with a receptive layer, the said transparent sheet provided with the receptive layer having been put on top of the sheet substrate provided with the resin layer so that the resin layer faces the transparent sheet on its side remote from the receptive layer, the said resin layer being separable from the transparent sheet to transfer the transparent sheet provided with the receptive layer onto an object, the transparent sheet portion including the receptive layer having been half cut in a specific shape. The said resin layer provided on the sheet substrate is composed mainly of a hydrosilylation-type silicone pressure-sensitive adhesive. The said transparent sheet in its side facing the resin layer may be subjected to release treatment to facilitate the separation of the said transparent sheet from the said resin layer. An image may be formed on the intermediate transfer recording medium by a conventional sublimation thermal transfer method or hot-melt thermal transfer method. A thermal transfer sheet is separately provided and used to form a thermally transferred image on the receptive layer in the intermediate transfer recording medium. The receptive layer with the image formed thereon is put on top of an object, and the assembly is pressed with heating to transfer the transparent sheet provided with the receptive layer onto the object. A suitable slip layer may be provided on the sheet substrate in its side remote from the resin layer from the viewpoint of improving carriability at the time of sheet feeding in the thermal transfer printer. The intermediate transfer recording medium is provided with identification marks. The identification marks detect the half cut portion of the receptive layer. The ink used in the above method is a die based ink. Hence, if an image formed in the manner disclosed in the aforesaid document is exposed to sunlight, the ink will wear off easily. Further, the image re-transferred onto an object must be laminated after such re-transfer to induce fastness properties to the image in the absence of which the image so re-transferred is susceptible to damage easily. The object on which the image is re-transferred from the intermediate transfer recording medium is plain paper, wood free paper, tracing paper and plastic film. Thus, the object on which the image so formed by the above invention is re-transferred is limited to paper and plastic. The image so formed by the above invention may not be suitable for re-transfer on rough, uneven or metal surfaces. Furthermore, the shape of the object of which image is to be re-transferred may be such as cards, postal cards, passports letter paper, report pads, notebooks, catalogs, cups and cases. Thus, the image so formed and method of transfer as claimed by the above invention is not suitable for re-transfer of the image so formed on objects of all sizes, thereby limiting the size of the object on which the image may be re-transferred. The formation of an image on the receptive layer is achieved only by thermal transfer method, which further limits the scope of the method. The transfer sheet portion including the receptive layer is necessarily subjected to half cutting to ensure that the image is printed only on the selected half cut region and only the said image so formed is re-transferred onto an object. The intermediate transfer recording medium and a method of transferring an image onto an object by means of said intermediate transfer recording medium as claimed under the above document therefore involves complex steps, requires a specific set up suitable for exclusive use of the invention disclosed in the above document and is limited in its scope of application.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,337 discloses an image forming method which comprises forming an image portion by exposing and developing an image forming material having light sensitive composition, and transferring only the image portion onto an image receiving material with the non-image portion of the image receiving material being exposed. The image forming material comprises a support; a releasing layer provided on said support wherein said releasing layer is formed of an ethylene-vinylacetate copolymer; and a light-sensitive layer is provided on said releasing layer to produce an imagewise portion corresponding to said exposing step, said light sensitive layer comprising a colorant, light-sensitive o-quinonediazide compound or compositions containing both of a photoacid generating agent and a compound having a bond decomposable with an acid, and a polymeric compound which is (a) a homopolymer of a first monomer represented by the formula RCCOCH═CH2 wherein R in the said first monomer is an alkyl having 1 to 17 carbon atoms; or (b) a copolymer comprising the said first monomer and a second monomer. The copolymer used may be vinyl acetate-ethylene; vinyl acetate-styrene; vinyl acetate-vinyl propionate; or vinyl acetate-vinyl versatate. In the colored light-sensitive layer of the colored image forming material, dyes and pigments are added as colorant. It is preferable to use a pigment having an insoluble salt such as sulfonic acid, carbonic acid, amine etc. The image forming material is generally developed after imagewise exposure through a color separation mask to form an image. At this time, only the image portion is directly transferred and laminated onto an image receiving material from the image obtained on the support. Such image can be transferred on the image receiving material by means of laser printers. Further, the image formed and the method of transfer of the same is not suitable for transfer onto large and/or uneven or metal surfaces. The invention so claimed in the above document is limited to use of paper or plastic. The image forming and transferring method disclosed in the above document also involves complex steps, require a specific set up suitable for use of image forming material having light sensitive composition and is further limited in its scope of application.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,772 discloses a decal comprising a paper sheet base having a porous surface, a preformed sheet of plastic film applied with no intermediate layer directly to said porous surface such that it adheres well to the porous surface and adopts the texture of the same but does not penetrate it, and an image applied to the said plastic film. No release layer is interposed between the paper base and plastic film, nor is there need for any release agent to be incorporated in the paper or in the plastic film because the adherence between the paper base and plastic film is released by water. The paper base of the image is treated with water in order to make the paper soft so that it may be removed completely, leaving the coated image to appear in reverse on the plastic film of the support sheet. The decal paper used for transferring image must be porous and water absorbent. A paper with a smooth, glazed surface is not desirable. Further, if the decal is to be applied on an obscure/dark surface and the printing inks are transparent, it will be necessary to apply a white layer over the reverse image. Furthermore, only images of small size can be transferred by means of the aforesaid method and highly skilled labour is required for transferring the image onto a surface as disclosed in the above document as the decal so formed may crack/break if not handled with care. The invention disclosed in the above document is also therefore limited in its scope of application.
However, a uniform/common method and device of transferring an impression from a substrate to a surface of any type, which is cost effective, and easy in application is yet to be fully developed for use in day to day life.